The talking is almost over. At noon Pacific today, the 2026 Olympia holds its official press conference in Las Vegas, the contenders’ last big stage before the first callouts on Friday. You can watch it free.
2026 Olympia press conference: time, place and stream
- When: Thursday, September 24, at 12:00 p.m. PT (3:00 p.m. ET, 8:00 p.m. in the UK)
- Where: The Pearl Theater at the Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas
- In person: Open to the public. VIP entry is at 11:30 a.m. and general entry at 11:45 a.m.
- Stream: Free on OlympiaTV. Register at olympiaproductions.com and you are in. Olympia president Dan Solomon made the whole livestream free this year.
The same free registration covers the whole weekend: the athlete check-ins, every prejudging and finals session, the Amateur Olympia and Sunday’s Champions Seminar. Our guide to watching the 2026 Olympia has every session time.
What to listen for
Press conferences are usually polite. Whoever takes the mic today, the storylines might not let it stay that way.
Derek Lunsford vs. Andrew Jacked. The rivalry of the season. At the Olympia Battle workout, Lunsford told Jacked that Jacked would never win the Mr. Olympia as long as Lunsford is around. Jacked has not lost a show since, winning the Romania Pro, the Arnold Classic and the Arnold Classic UK. Lunsford is not thinking small either: he already sees himself as a future four-time Mr. Olympia. If they share a stage today, somebody is getting asked about it.
Samson Dauda’s return. The 2024 champion dropped to fourth last year after coming in smaller, then promised to bring the “monster” back. He won the Europa Pro on September 13 to show he meant it.
Nick Walker’s confidence. Walker has been saying he will win this one since he took the Tampa Pro in July. We ran the numbers on his chances from sixth place last year, and only Ronnie Coleman has ever pulled off a jump like that.
The empty chair. Hadi Choopan, runner-up for three straight years, withdrew in August. Expect questions about who fills that spot in the final callout.
Whoever is on the panel, Phil Heath is on the commentary team for the weekend’s livestream, so the seven-time champion’s opinions will be on the free stream all weekend.
Then the real show starts
Prejudging begins Friday at 9:30 a.m. PT, and six titles are decided Friday night. Before then, check the official 2026 lineup, catch up on our 2026 Mr. Olympia predictions and meet the four men making their Olympia debut. Every callout and crowning goes up on our 2026 Mr. Olympia live updates page.
